Craig A. Kennedy (born September 28, 1951) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the

South Dakota Senate The Senate is the upper house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 35 members, one representing each legislative district; it meets at the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. Composition :''92nd Legislature (2019)'' Officers Li ...

representing District 18 from January 10, 2017 through January 12, 2021.

Early life and education

Kennedy was born in

Huron, South Dakota Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Beadle County. The '' Huron Daily Plainsman'', also referred to as the ''Plainsman'', is the newspaper. The first settlement at Huron was made in 1880. The ci ...

. He earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

at the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...

and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

at the

University of South Dakota School of Law The University of South Dakota School of Law also known as University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law or USD Law in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, is a professional school of the University of South Dakota and the only law school in ...

Legal career

He started as a Judicial law clerk for the

United States District Court for the District of South Dakota The United States District Court for the District of South Dakota (in case citations, D.S.D.) is the United States District Court or the Federal district court, whose jurisdiction for issues pertaining to federal law or diversity for the state of ...

. In 1977, he began his own law practice out of Yankton after a year as a U.S. District Court Law Clerk. Eight years later, he was elected as Yankton County's State Attorney, serving in that capacity for 7 years. From 2000 until his election in 2016 to the

, he served as South Dakota's Special Assistant Attorney General. Aside from his work as an attorney, he has filled the following positions: State Bar Commissioner, President of the USD Law School Foundation, South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association, South Dakota Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, President of the Yankton Rotary Club, President of the Yankton Rotary Foundation and Board Member of the

South Dakota Symphony The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO) is an American orchestra located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and is a member of the League of American Orchestras. Approximately 90 musicians make up the orchestra, varying from professionals to semiprof ...

as well as advisory committees for the City of Yankton and Yankton School District.

Election history

2016: When incumbent Senator Democrat Bernie Hunhoff decided at the last minute against seeking reelection in order to spend more time with family, Kennedy submitted his petition for the office instead. Kennedy ran unopposed in the primary election on June 7, 2016. Republican Matt Stone had earlier entered the race as an Independent but after withdrawing, because South Dakota law does not allow the replacement of an Independent candidate, Kennedy was again unopposed in the November 8, 2016 general election. He earned 5,762 votes.

Tenure

Kennedy is an advocate of universal pre-K education and was the cosponsor of a bill that would establish an early childhood education pilot program. He was a member of the Senate Commerce and Energy Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Craig 1951 births Living people 21st-century American politicians People from Huron, South Dakota People from Yankton, South Dakota University of South Dakota alumni University of South Dakota School of Law alumni South Dakota lawyers Democratic Party South Dakota state senators